


Payback

by annaliesegrace



Category: Magnum P.I. (TV 2018)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-28
Updated: 2020-06-23
Packaged: 2021-01-05 21:36:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21215450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/annaliesegrace/pseuds/annaliesegrace
Summary: It was bound to happen, someone coming for payback.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Guys, I have literally been working on this for WEEKS. I cannot stare at Chapter 1 for a another second before I lose my mind and throw it out the window. Could be garbage, I don't know anymore!  
I didnt even realize October was Whumptober...its just a coincidence I wrote a hurt/comfort this month (ok, technically September but Im posting now).

“You didn’t!” she sounded somewhat horrified.

Magnum grinned at her. “I did.”

“I thought we agreed…” she admonished him but there was little heat behind it, he didn’t think she was honestly that angry.

Magnum shrugged. “We did but…c’mon the guy deserved it.”

Higgins just sighed from her side of the Land Rover and maneuvered the car onto the final road before they arrived home. It had been a miserable, rainy day on Oahu, unusual for this time of year so the Ferrari’s had stayed firmly parked in the garage. On the plus side, there was little traffic on the roads.

Magnum glanced out the window, the sun had just slipped below the horizon and it was almost fully dark. They’d had a long day chasing a lead, which had turned into chasing a suspect (literally) which had resulted in a happy ending for the client. But he was wiped and considered if the 10 minute nap he could get in before they hit the Nest would be worth it. Deciding it was, he settled in against the headrest, eyes just closing when a small shout from Higgins got his attention.

“Wha-“ he started but any questioning was cut off by the SUV being rammed hard from behind, the car slid just slightly before Higgins regained control and she swore, not in the nice British way either.

Magnum turned to look, there was a large vehicle behind them, lights off, front bumper kissing the Land Rovers and pushing.

Higgins tried to maneuver away but it was becoming a fruitless battle, every time she accelerated the vehicle behind them did as well, maintaining contact. The wet roads were not helping either.

“Higgins…” he said lowly.

“I know, Magnum,” she said tersely and accelerated again. “No, no, no, no…”

Higgins mutter was the last thing he could remember hearing before the car swerved violently right and went off the road, barreling down a small embankment, taking out brush as they went.

The large tree straight in front of them was the last thing he saw before the world went black.

~~~~~~~~

Sucking in a breath he snapped his eyes open; it felt like he had only been out for seconds but there was no way for him to really know. The front of the car was still smoking, windows all blown out, the smell of gas permeated the air and he coughed.

“Higgins!” he cried out and turned to the driver’s side. Juliet was slumped against the steering wheel, facing him, blonde hair obscuring his view of her face. There was something about the now-deflated airbag that didn’t look quite right, but his brain was having trouble concentrating and putting the pieces together.

_Concussion. _Great.

Glancing around the vehicle, he confirmed they weren’t in immediate danger and reached out, mumbling, “please, please” as he pushed her hair out of her face.

The entire left side of her face was covered in blood, some was even streaming from her nose. In a panic and with a shaking hand he checked her pulse…strong and she seemed to be breathing. Magnum let out the breath he didn’t realized he’d been holding.

“Higgins,” he said softly and shook her shoulder while glancing around the car.

Silence remained in the trees around them. Which didn’t seem right. They’d been forced down the ravine, why weren’t their attackers confirming the kill, or coming to grab them?

Once again, he couldn’t think straight and the headache that had been a mere annoyance when he woke up turned into a riotous noise in his skull in an instant. But one thought pushed through…

_Phone._

With a quick glance down he realized that was probably a lost cause, both their phones had been in the cup holder between them and both were now gone, likely taken flight when the car hit the tree. They could be literally anywhere in the car. And every movement he took sent sharp, agonizing pain through his head, causing his vision to black out slightly each time.

Slipping his hand to her neck he slowly stroked her cheek with his thumb, trying to reassure her. “It’s ok…it’ll be ok…”

Noise outside the car got his attention and he turned quickly while trying not to let go of Higgins, eyes trying to scan the area around the car.

It was too much, his head swam, his vision blurred, panic rose swiftly in his chest and then it all went black. Again.

~~~~~~~~~~

This time when he came to, he was much more comfortable. And horizontal. With machines beeping next to him and a low, familiar voice talking quietly.

His eyes fluttered and the voice grew closer. “Magnum?”

Katsumoto.

_Wait, what?_

_Hospital._

_Higgins!_

He opened his eyes and sat up quickly, regretting the action immediately when pain seared across his forehead and he cried out a little. A hand pressed on his shoulder gently, easing him back to the pillow.

“Settle down, Magnum. She’s ok.” Apparently, he’d called her name out loud.

Blinking slowly, he took in the room, Katsumoto was standing next to his bed, a nurse was pushing something into the IV line hooked to his hand.

“What…how did you find us?”

“Lucky for you there was a retired detective driving not far behind you, he saw the other SUV speeding away and stopped to investigate. Found the Rover and you two in it.”

That explained why they didn’t finish the job, scared off.

“Higgins? She didn’t wake up…”

Katsumoto sighed and Magnum’s heart clenched a little.

“She got the worst of it,” the detective said, confirming his fear. “They have her up in surgery now for a small tear in her spleen, plus she’s got a broken collar bone, small fracture of the orbital bone, fractured ribs. Sounds bad but the doctors say with some rest she’ll be fine. You escaped with a bump on the head and some bruising.”

“Did you find the guys?”

“Not yet, we have a good description of the car from Detective Hie but no license plate. We’re looking. You guys were very, insanely lucky. Any idea who would do this?”

Their last few cases had been pretty tame, nothing he thought would cause someone to murder them.

“No…I mean, we haven’t looked into anything serious for weeks.”

Katsumoto frowned. “We will check if anyone’s been released from jail lately that might have an axe to grind. I’ll keep you informed but Magnum, you gotta stay out of this.”

Anger flared in him. “What? Someone tried to kill us and almost succeeded! Higgins-”

Katsumoto cut him off with a look. “Right now your friend is recovering from serious injuries, she needs you more than I do. Stay _out_ of it.”

Magnum frowned, whatever the nurse had given him, while relieving the pain, also made him very tired and the fight drained from him. Besides, Katsumoto was right and suddenly the urge to see Higgins grew, but he was _just so damn tired_.

His eye lids started to droop as he mumbled out, “Fine.”

The detective didn’t look convinced but nodded anyway and headed for the door, throwing out, “Get some rest” as he left.

~~~~~~~~

It couldn’t have been too long after Katsumoto left that TC and Rick appeared in his doorway, he’d been dozing in and out but woke more fully when their voices entered the room.

“TM! You’re awake!”

“TC,” he said and hugged him when the bigger man leaned over his bed, doing the same for Rick when he approached.

“How you feeling man?” TC asked.

Magnum considered that a moment, his head wasn’t screaming in pain at him, but that could be the painkillers.

“Been better, been worse.”

Rick frowned at him but said, “Good, you guys had us worried, when Katsumoto calls _us_ it’s never good.”

“Have you seen Higgins? Is she ok?” If his voice was a little desperate neither of the other men acknowledged it.

“She’s in recovery, they are going to keep her sedated until this afternoon,” Rick answered. “Kumu is up with her now.”

“Wait…” Magnum looked out the small window of his room. Sunlight was just starting to stream through. “What time is it?”

“Just after seven am.”

Apparently, he’d been more than “dozing” since Katsumoto left around midnight.

“What happened?” TC asked.

“We were driving back to the Nest and this SUV rams us, pushes us off the road. End of story, all I know. A retired detective happened to be on the same road, saw the SUV speed away and found us. Katsumoto has a description of the car; they’re looking for it.”

The other two men frowned.

“You piss anyone off more than usual lately?” Rick questioned.

“Don’t think so…but Katsumoto is looking into anyone that’s been released lately that might have an issue with me.”

“Well you let us know what you need, ok?” TC said softly. “We don’t hack like Higgins, but we have our ways.”

Magnum gave them a small smile. “Thanks guys. I just…I need to see her, you know?”

Rick nodded in understanding. “I’m sure they will let you outta here soon.”

The men stayed a while chatting aimlessly before heading out, promising to return that afternoon to check on them both.

Not long after they left the nurse returned, checking his vitals and noting something in a tablet.

Magnum put on his best smile. “Any chance I get discharged soon?”

“I can check with the doctor, you’re pretty much in the clear. Vitals have been normal all night, how’s your pain?”

“Not too bad right now. My head hurts a little and my wrist when I move it. So, I won’t move it,” he said with a grin.

She didn’t look impressed with his attempt at humor and his smile fell.

“Look, my friend is up on the surgical floor and they are taking her off the sedative this afternoon, I want to be there. I’ll do it anyway, so it would just be easier for everyone involved if I was discharged first.”

Sighing, she tapped something into the tablet. “I’ve requested discharge, I will let you know.”

“Thank you.”

~~~~~~~~~~~

True to her word, Magnum was discharged less than an hour later. Happily, he changed his clothes, got the hospital bracelet cut off and worked his way up to the surgical recovery area. His head was starting to ache but he willed it away, focusing instead on finding Higgins.

The nurse at the central station had given him her room number and a knowing smile, clearly someone had warned them he would arrive.

Aside from Higgins lying in the bed, her room was empty, Kumu must have left.

“Oh, Higgy,” he sighed and moved to the side of the bed, looking down at her pale form. While she wasn’t intubated, there was a large bandage at her hairline and the entire left side of her face was varying shades of black and blue, her eye swollen spectacularly. “I’m so sorry.”

Logically he knew it was not his fault, but deep in his heart he took the blame. Her association with him (however voluntary) had made her an innocent bystander. Someone was out to get _him_, and she’d paid the heavier price. It wasn’t fair and he wanted to yell, scream, throw something, _do something_. Anything to fix this.

But he was torn between not wanting to leave her side and rushing off to help the investigation. Staring at her still, quiet form he made the decision, pulling over the visitor’s chair and slumping into it. He trusted Katsumoto was doing everything he could, along with TC and Rick. Right now, he needed to be here, with her.

It surprised him; how great the need was to be near Higgins. Sure, they fought but rarely did it amount to anything and more often than not the fights were more poking fun at each other. Testing boundaries. Under it all they cared for each other, that was never a question. There was something else though, something growing between them that they studiously ignored; it was an unspoken agreement to let it be, they’d both been burned in relationships and valued the friendship they’d created too much to risk it.

Sighing he reached out and covered one of her hands with his, content to sit silently.

Hours, and several visits by the nurses, passed and his stomach rumbling finally forced him out of the chair; he honestly couldn’t remember when he’d eaten last. Maybe dinner the night before and it was now after lunch. Thankfully his wallet had been in his shorts pocket, so it has been returned with his clothes.

“Gotta eat, Higgy, back shortly,” he said and, without thinking, leaned down and kissed her forehead; only realizing what he’d done after standing up. “Yeah, probably good you missed that; I would’ve never heard the end of it. Or you’d have punched me.”

Reluctantly he left the room.

~~~~~~

“No, she’s still out,” he said to Rick, who’d met him down in the cafeteria after he’d arrived at the hospital. “Couple hours still probably.”

“Are you staying here?”

“Yeah, I don’t want her to wake up alone, I’m sticking around so if you don’t want to stay its ok.”

Rick shook his head. “No, I’ll stay. TC is ‘helping’ Katsumoto.” Air quotes around “helping” told Magnum TC was mostly annoying the detective.

Magnum laughed and the two men walked back up to the surgical floor, Magnum shoving the cafeteria sandwich into his mouth as they went.

As they passed the nurses station Rick paused to talk to one of the nurses he knew - because of course he did. Magnum just grinned and kept walking.

There was a nurse in Higgins room, standing by her head, his back to the door.

“How’s she doing?” Magnum asked and then immediately realized something was very wrong. The nurse’s scrubs were ill fitting, barely covering his broad shoulders, and what looked like a dress shirt was poking out from under the scrubs at the wrist, but what really stood out were the black designer shoes. Immediately Magnum went on alert and approached, he couldn’t very well rush the man and risk further injury to Higgins. “Who the hell are you?”

No response.

“Get away from her!” he yelled, and this time move toward the mystery man, grabbing his left arm. The man turned and swung, nearly getting Magnum in theface but he ducked just in time and came up with a fist to the ribs.

The man stumbled and Magnum grabbed him by the shirt, pulling him away from the bed and toward the door, slamming him against the wall. The man shoved Magnum back with force, bumping him against the end of the bed. A quick glance confirmed Higgins was still attached to the monitors and undisturbed.

Magnum charged back, swinging at the ribs, missing when the other man stepped to the side, but that had been his plan, and Magnum put one foot out, sending the attacker crashing to the floor, Magnum shoving one knee painfully into his chest to hold him.

The sound of the fight had obviously wafted into the hall because suddenly Rick was at the door, with several nurses behind him, all in various stages of shock.

“Oh my god, I’ll call security,” one of the nurses said and rushed back to the station.

Magnum was struggling to hold the man but glanced at Rick. “Check Higgins. Call Katsumoto.”

Rick walked over to her bed, phone in hand, eyes on Magnum when all hell broke loose.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh I am so sorry this took so long, its a little shorter than I wanted but a good spot to stop. Higgins POV coming next.

Just as he stood by her bedside, eyes focused on the other men, making sure the attacker didn’t break free from Magnum’s hold, there was a pull on his hand.

Looking down he saw Juliet’s eyes wide open, staring at him confused.

“Higgy,” he said with a smile, trying to calm the panic he saw on her face.

“Rick…Rick…help.”

“You’re in the hospital Jules. It’s ok.”

She shook her head and closed her eyes in pain and for a second Rick thought he saw sweat beading on her forehead.

“No…wrong…something’s wrong…”

“Rick?” Magnum’s questioning voice from the floor but Rick kept his eyes focused on the woman in the bed.

Then Higgins’ monitors started screaming in alarm and she shook violently on the bed, struggling to suck in a breath, eyes wide with fear.

“Higgins!” he yelled just as a nurse forced her way between the bed and Rick.

Rick sent Magnum a distressed look as he was shoved aside.

The nurse glanced at the monitors then back down at Higgins. “BP is sky high; pulse elevated.” She turned toward the door, where another nurse stood. “Get the crash cart, page the doctor on call.”

“Kimmie?” Rick asked nervously, addressing the nurse at Higgins bedside.

She ignored him, scanning Higgins before looking at Magnum. “Where was he? When you came in.”

Magnum looked terrified but responded immediately. “Uh, right where you are.”

Quickly her eyes went to the IV line and followed it down from the bag to the y-port and mused, “He must have injected something…”

The machines continued to blare and scream, adding to the chaos, and Higgins was clearly struggling on the bed, Rick wanted to do _something_ but knew there was little he could do without getting in the way.

The other nurse had returned with the crash cart, forcing Magnum to haul up his captive to standing, pressing them farther into the room. “Doc is on her way.”

“BP is 200 over 150, she’s going to have a heart attack. Nitro.”

There was a flurry of activity and as he was pushed farther away from the bed, Rick noticed a syringe on the floor, near the head of the bed. Carefully so as not to get in the way, he grabbed a rubber glove and picked it up.

“Epinephrine?” he said and held it out for Kimmie to see.

“Shit,” she hissed as the doctor came in the room. Quickly she was brought up to speed and within seconds more meds were being pushed through the IV line and the paddles were prepped.

Rick stepped away, standing next to Magnum – he’d missed security showing up at some point, they were cuffing the attacker. Magnum looked shell-shocked, terrified and equally angry; his eyes flashed as the doctor yelled out instruction as Higgins thrashed on the bed.

Watching his friend out of the corner of his eye, Rick knew what was going to happen the split second before it did, and still he was unable to stop it.

Magnum took three long strides over to where security was leading the attacker out of the room.

“Who sent you?” he yelled, pushing the man against the open door with his forearm on his throat.

“Magnum!” Rick called, knowing perfectly well it would be useless.

Magnum’s eyes were full of dangerous fire when he hissed again, “Who sent you?”

In the man’s silence they heard “CLEAR!” ring through the room and both men turned to see paddles placed on Higgins chest before she arched off the bed.

A second later a steady heartbeat rang through the room.

“Got her back,” Kimmie said to Rick with a small smile.

Just as Rick turned back to the attacker, Katsumoto appeared in the doorway, a shocked expression on his face, flanked by 2 officers.

“What the hell is going on here?”

Rick pointed at the silent man. “He tried to kill Higgins…”

“Pushed enough epinephrine into her IV line to cause a fatal heart attack.” The doctor said from the bed, pointing at the syringe sitting on the crash cart, as she watched Higgins vitals stabilize on the monitor. “We'll draw blood to confirm.”

Katsumoto didn’t look remotely surprised.

“Gordon?” Magnum asked.

The detective turned to the officers with him. “Take him into custody, I’ll handle this.” Then, as an afterthought, “And call another unit to take your place.”

With a glance at Magnum and Rick, he guided them into the now-empty hallway.

Katsumoto took a long breath and glanced back at the man being led away before speaking . “Higgins is the target.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Magnum stared at the detective. “What?”

“I had CSU put a rush on checking the airbag of the Rover…”

“Wait...Why?”

Katsumoto tilted his head. “You don’t remember? The entire ambulance ride to the hospital you were muttering about the airbags.”

Magnum frowned, he couldn’t even recall the ride to the hospital, just passing out in the car then waking up. “I was?”

“The EMT said you were quite adamant about it.” Katsumoto tilted his head toward her hospital room. “And this? This incident confirms whoever did this was after Higgins, not you. So, we need to look into anyone with an axe to grind. We can start with your cases but, we should probably contact MI-6 also. Do you know how to contact anyone?”

He shook his head. “With MI-6? No, no idea. She kept that information to herself, didn’t really talk much about MI-6 at all.”

“Anyone threaten her while on a case?”

_Imagine the air bag was disabled and Higgins is sitting in the passenger seat. _The words came back in a rush and Magnum shuddered a little. This was too similar, but the man who’d made the threat was long dead.

“Not recently. But the case with the bank teller, Rudy Wong threatened to disable the airbag while she was in the car.”

Katsumoto looked up from writing in his notebook. “And you failed to mention this at the time because?”

Could he really admit to the detective he deflected the threat onto himself because it terrified him that Higgins was in the crosshairs? That he felt guilty as hell he’d put her in that position?

“Is that really important?” Magnum asked instead. “Wong is dead. And we made sort of nice with the organization, there would be no reason for them to try and kill her now. It’s been almost a year.”

The detective didn’t look pleased but nodded, nonetheless. “Well start thinking-“ He was cut off by his cell ringing. “Hang on…”

As Katsumoto turned to take the call, Rick gave him a long, appraising look.

“What?” Magnum asked.

After a second, Rick shrugged. “Nothing man, nothing.”

Before Thomas could question him further, Katsumoto came back. “Well, they found the SUV that ran you off the road. Bad news is it was set on fire behind an industrial park, burnt to a crisp, no chance of getting prints, trying to run the partial plate that was left.”

“So, someone is trying to kill Higgins and we have no idea who they are.”

“Let’s see what we can pry out of our attempted assassin before giving up hope, ok?”

Magnum nodded.

“And do I have to remind you again to stay out of it?”

This time his eyes flitted to her room, then to Rick, before meeting Katsumoto’s stern but understanding gaze.

“Nope, staying out of it. I’d rather stay here.”

Gordon seemed to take a second to decide if Magnum was serious before nodding. “Two more uni’s are on their way now, she’ll have a detail while in the hospital. I’ll stay until they get here.”

Magnum nodded. “Thanks, Gordon.”

“Of course,” he said and moved off to talk to the nurses, likely to get statements.

Magnum looked to Rick. “Sticking around?”

“You bet, someone’s after our girl, I’m staying.”

Magnum smiled and the men settled into her room, Magnum moving his chair as close to her bed as he could get, on guard.

No one was getting near Higgins again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart for the comments and kudos, its so appreciated. And wasnt last nights ep just...perfect? Two adults actually talking it out and agreeing to TALK to each other. Oh, and more heart eyes from Magnum, dude was legit upset he'd hurt her. Love it.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I beg, on my hands and knees your forgiveness for the lateness of this chapter. Much going on IRL and then the holidays hit, my muse apparently took a vacation at the same time and this chapter...vexed me to no end. I've seriously written and re-written some sections 4 times I hated it so much. Happy now though.
> 
> My gift for this lateness is an extra-long supersized chapter that is the same length as the first two combined.

“HIGGINS!” Magnum was desperately screaming her name as she tried to keep the car on the road. It was futile though, the other SUV was pushing them to the side of the slick road, every move she made was countered and she quickly lost control as the Rover went over the shallow embankment.

As the car came to a sudden, violent stop and she was thrown into the steering wheel, Juliet felt his hand rest on her forearm. For a moment she managed to hold onto consciousness, just long enough to turn her head toward Magnum.

He appeared unconscious, and she followed him.

~~~~~~

Someone was touching her face gently. Almost…lovingly. No…that couldn’t be right. Richard was dead. Right?

Then who-

“It’s ok…It’ll be ok…”

Oh, Magnum. Magnum was touching her.

But she was too tired to even acknowledge him, just opening her eyes seemed like an insurmountable effort. As did taking catalog of her injuries because everything seemed to hurt, but especially her face. There was a familiar warm sensation running down her cheek. Blood. _Fantastic._

Taking a painful breath, Higgins tried to open her eyes, finding that only her right cooperated, the left stung every time she tried. Magnum’s hand was still resting on her neck, but the man himself was passed out, his head resting on the headrest, facing her.

Letting out a low moan, she tried to lift herself from the wheel.

“Hey…hey, stay still.”

The voice behind Higgins startled her, she jerked in surprise, sending waves of pain through her head, and panic that the person who had forced them off the road was there to finish the job, and in her condition, she was unable to stop them. The logical part of her brain cut that line of thinking off within seconds, if the man standing at her blown out window was there to kill them, she’d already be dead.

Then the voice spoke again, but clearly not to her. “No, off the road. Hurry, both are alive, but the woman is bleeding pretty heavily from her head.”

“Ma’am…” Back to her then. “Ma’am…what’s your name?”

Swallowing thickly, she managed to press out, “Juliet.”

“Ok, Juliet. The EMTs and police are on their way, just hang on.”

“Thank-thank you.”

She wanted to turn and speak to the man but couldn’t make her body cooperate with the thought, so she remained slumped across the wheel. The tiredness was overwhelming, so she contented herself with looking at Magnum, confirming his chest was rising and falling evenly. It brought peace of mind to her that he was alive.

Just as the sound of sirens split the air Juliet gave into the mounting pain and closed her eye.

~~~~~

Juliet sucked in a deep breath and opened her good eye for only a half a second, just enough to gather she was in a hospital bed.

And something was very wrong but she couldn’t pinpoint _what_ exactly. In her half second before the light forced her to close her eye she’d gathered that there were a lot of people in the room, and there was shouting. Maybe a fight? It certainly sounded like a fight. That didn’t seem right though…it was a hospital.

On top of that she didn’t feel…_right_. Her heart was hammering painfully in her chest, a headache was forming and there was a thin sheen of sweat on her body. Waking up from anesthesia was often disorienting but this was something different.

Opening her eye (again, the left one just would not cooperate), she saw Rick standing by her hospital bedside, his gaze focused on something else in the room.

Focusing hard, she lifted one hand and reached for his, gently grasping and pulling. The man’s head swiveled toward her, a broad smile on his face.

_Such a nice smile,_ her addled brain supplied.

“Higgy,” he said calmly.

Pain racked her body, to the point she couldn’t determine a source and she looked at the other man desperately before croaking out, “Rick…Rick…help.”

He tried to reassure her. “…it’s ok.”

_NO!_ It was not ok, he wasn’t getting it and she shook her head in frustration.

“Wrong…something’s wrong…”

And finally, _finally! _the alarms on her monitors started going off, startling Rick. Higgins tried to draw in a breath, but it felt like she wasn’t getting air and the pain returned in a sharp way, involuntarily she arched off the bed, letting out a small cry.

A nurse appeared at her side, and Higgins tried to focus on her but couldn’t, spiraling into darkness once again.

~~~~~~~

The next time she woke, Higgins was mostly…irritated. Primarily from waking up what felt like the hundredth time and still with no clear understanding of what was happening except that she was in the hospital. It was vexing at best and she did not like it.

Groaning, she shifted in the bed and opened her eye. The left continued to remain frustratingly closed.

Another thing to be irritated about.

“Higgins?” A soft voice called from her side and some of the irritation floated away.

Carefully she turned her head to the right and saw a relieved looked Magnum sitting by her bedside.

“Thomas-“ she croaked out, her throat was so very dry.

“Hey, Higgy…welcome back.”

Swallowing she asked, “How long?”

“Have you been out?” he asked and at her nod responded, “about a day. Not long. Do you remember what happened?”

Talking was painful and she shook her head with frustration. “Water?”

Instantly he was up and out the door. Upon his return he was followed by a petite, dark haired woman.

The woman spoke first with a smile, “Miss Higgins, my name is Keeley, I will be your nurse for the next few hours. We are very glad to see you awake. How are you feeling?”

“Thirsty.”

A cup of ice chips was placed into her line of vision and she gratefully took one, relishing the cool feeling on her sore throat.

“Thank you,” she said to Magnum, who continued to hold the cup within reach as he moved his chair closer to her side.

“Are you in any pain?” the nurse asked.

“Not at the moment, no. What happened?”

“You don’t remember?” The question came from Magnum and she struggled to find a coherent memory that would explain her current situation.

She came up empty. “No, nothing.”

The nurse nodded slowly and tapped on the pad she held. “What is the last thing you remember?”

“I remember we were on a case…” she paused, frustrated but a flash came to her, driving the Rover. “We were…driving back to the nest?”

Thomas’ hand landed gently on her forearm and he nodded. “We were run off the road. Your airbag was tampered with and you were pretty badly injured.”

Juliet sighed, “I don’t remember that.”

“That’s completely normal, it’s possible you’ll never remember but bits and pieces might come back over time as the concussion heals. You’ll likely not remember…” Suddenly the nurse stopped and glanced at Magnum, clearly unsure.

The irritation returned.

“What?” she asked and placed another ice chip in her mouth.

Magnum looked at her a long moment before squeezing her arm again gently. “Last night a man came into your room and pushed enough epinephrine into your IV line to cause a heart attack. I caught him in the act but, ah, but not soon enough. Thankfully…thankfully the doctors and nurses saved you.”

Higgins eye widened at him. “Sounds like you saved my life also, Magnum.”

He was silent but for a non-committal shrug.

“So clearly someone is out to kill me,” she continued.

“Yeah. I’d say so. Katsumoto has a guard on your room, but the guy from last night isn’t talking and isn’t in the system. The SUV that ran us off the road was found in an industrial park, burnt to a crisp. No prints. It was stolen. I cant think of a client who would want you dead either. We have no leads.” He sounded angry.

“Magnum…” she said softly, and slowly brought her hand to rest on top of the one he still had on her right arm. His gaze stared at their joined hands a moment before looking at her, steely resolve in his gaze.

“We will find these guys; nothing is going to happen to you.”

The resolve had changed to something much darker in his expression, something that had her concerned he would attempt to do something incredibly stupid on her behalf. Sighing, she gave him a small smile and nodded, “Of that, I am certain.”

At some point the nurse had left, though neither of them had noticed.

Shifting in the bed caused the pain to spike and she groaned, realizing she didn’t know the extent of her injuries.

“How bad is it?” she asked.

Magnum frowned, she hadn’t been conscious long enough to get an update on her own condition. “Its…not great. Collarbone, ribs and orbital bone are all fractured-“

Her hand touched the swollen skin around her left eye. “That explains this.”

“There was also a small tear in your spleen, surgery fixed that up with little fuss. Concussion and a pretty nasty cut on your forehead rounds it out. You were lucky, the airbag half inflated.”

Blue eyes pinned him. “And you, are you all right?”

A small grin flitted across his face. “Aside from some bumps and bruises I came out unscathed.”

“Are you lying to me?” she asked seriously, well aware that Magnum would hide the seriousness of his own injuries if it meant sparing her worry. She’d done it to him.

“No.” It was firm and brokered no argument, so she gave a half smile in acknowledgment.

For a long moment their eyes met.

“So when do I get out of here?” she asked to break the tension that had been starting to build. It was insanity, she was laid up in a hospital bed after two nearly successful assassination attempts and still the quiet moments between them said so much.

As expected, Magnum broke eye contact and laughed. “You’ve been conscious all of thirty minutes, Higgins.”

She considered that a moment. “Tomorrow then.”

The next day she was discharged, much to Magnum’s annoyance. The doctors and nurses had concurred that her injuries, while quite serious, did not require an extended hospital stay as long as she promised to take it easy. And besides, as she’d argued to Magnum, Robin’s Nest was far safer from a security standpoint then a hospital.

His concern for her was…sweet. It had been a long time since someone had been so worried about her well-being, usually she was on her own. It reminded her that Magnum was a genuinely good man, who cared deeply for his friends and would do literally anything for them.

No task was asking too much.

Which was why he was currently on his knees in front of her, tying her trainers.

The nurse had helped her slip into a pair of khaki shorts and tank top, securing a wide bandage around her middle for rib support and putting her left arm in a sling for the collarbone fracture, but then had been called away before getting to her footwear. Normally she wouldn’t even bother with trainers, slippers would have been easier, but her back and hip ached and they were the most supportive.

Once done, Magnum stood and held a hand out. For a moment she frowned, how she hated needing help getting off a bed but he just looked at her expectantly with no judgement. He’d been there a time or two himself.

“Thank you,” she said while taking the offered hand and used it as leverage to get off the bed with minimal pain.

“Rick has the car downstairs, ready to go?”

“Very.” Then a thought occurred to her and she turned her head. “My phone?”

Magnum pulled it from his pocket waving it gently at her, “Right here. You’re lucky CSU found it _and_ the screen wasn’t destroyed _and_ I convinced Katsumoto they didn’t need it anymore.”

Taking the device she slipped it into her own back pocket. “Thank you. Maybe I should give the screen protector five stars on Amazon.”

He laughed and Juliet smiled at the sound.

Releasing her hand, he instead offered her the wheelchair that was placed at the foot of the bed.

“Do I have to?” she whined even while moving toward the chair and slowly lowering herself into it.

“You do indeed. Wouldn’t want you tripping over something and ending up admitted again, would you?” He moved behind her and gripped the handles, starting to slowly maneuver the chair toward the door. “Then you sue the hospital, of course you’d win because you’re you, put the place out of business. People die because the closest hospital closed because some British woman refused the wheelchair.”

Tipping her head up she looked back at him with an incredulous look. “That is quite a tale, Magnum.”

“People die, Higgy.” He reinforced with a mock glare.

Higgins let out a deep, soulful laugh. One that sent pain lancing through her side but she couldn’t stop herself, it felt good to find some levity in the situation.

Just then Bane, a large, male nurse who had helped secure her release, appeared and took the reigns from Magnum. “What’s so funny?” he asked.

“Dead people, apparently,” Magnum said flatly but with a small, sly grin in her direction.

Bane stared at them a minute before shaking his head. “You two are something else.”

She fell asleep in the car. Ten minutes into the thirty minute ride, Magnum informed her later. The pain medications, while certainly leaving her pain free, also had the annoying side effect of making her utterly exhausted. Juliet hated that also.

Magnum, while not touching her, had lingered close while she slowly walked herself into the house, moving through to the kitchen before pausing.

“You ok?” he asked and stopped next to her.

“Yes, I just…” she looked around a moment. “Not sure what to do with myself. I suppose I should call the insurance company about my car.”

“Taken care of,” he said, almost guiltily. “I spoke to a lovely woman named Bree, a rental will be here day after tomorrow.”

Leaning carefully on the counter she gave him a tired smile. “Thank you, Magnum.”

He walked around the island and opened the fridge, producing a plate full with food. “Kumu felt horrible she couldn’t cancel her trip to the mainland to be here but she left your favorite.”

Juliet’s stomach grumbled in hunger and she muttered, “Ohhh, Kumu” while taking the plate and portioning out half the contents – it was slow going with only her right hand. She looked at him. “Did you want some?”

Magnum smiled at her. “No, I’m good. Eat up.”

While she waited for the food to heat up in the microwave (something she wouldn’t normally do but hunger didn’t have the patience to wait for the oven), Juliet observed Magnum. He was…hovering again. Sticking close to her without being intrusive, straightening up the living room, setting a place at the outdoor table for her to eat.

It was nice, having someone care for her. Despite their frequently antagonistic behavior toward each other, there was also deep respect and concern for each other’s well-being, along with friendship. And maybe something more? It was fuzzy, unclear that part of their relationship; she frequently caught him looking at her with this…expression she couldn’t quite pin down.

She hadn’t lied when she told Magnum she’d found something in Hawaii she didn’t want to lose and he was part of that something. A big part.

The microwave dinged and carefully she pulled the plate out, her hand shook with the effort and quickly placed it on the counter before the plate and contents could hit the floor. Magnum appeared at her side and wordlessly grabbed it, carrying the plate of food to the table.

She smiled warmly at his retreating back and slowly she worked her way over to the table and sat down carefully, Magnum sitting at her side.

“Are you sure you don’t want something?” she asked.

“I’m good.”

In no time the food was gone and Juliet leaned back in the chair, stomach full.

“Kumu is a godsend,” she commented.

Magnum was silent and she looked over at him, he was frowning at his phone.

“Everything all right?”

“He’s dead.”

The words didn’t quite register. “I’m sorry, whose dead?”

Magnum looked at her, anger clear on his face. “The man who tried to kill you. Dead, in his cell.”

“Oh…”

“They aren’t sure what happened, they found him during shift change.” Magnum stood and violently shoved the chair back against the table.

“Magnum-“ she started but he ignored her plea.

“That guy was our last lead, our _last lead_.” He was pacing frantically between the table and the edge of the pool, it was a rare day Magnum got this angry, he was typically fairly even tempered, bordering on eternally optimistic.

At his next pass by the table she grabbed his hand and held tight, keeping him anchored in front of her. He stared down at her and slowly the anger faded from his face and he gave her another of those looks, only this time she read it just fine, he was scared. Terrified even.

“Magnum,” she said softly. “We will figure this out, we always do.”

One of his arms wrapped carefully around her shoulders, gently pulling her toward him in a half hug, she went willingly, leaning into his side.

“You’re right,” he sighed, letting his fingers trace patterns on the part of her upper arm not covered by the sling.

This was dangerous, the direction they were heading, it scared her a little, but she didn’t move away either.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reviews are lovely, please leave one. I'm confident the next chapter wont take as long because I have the last two mentally mapped out.


	4. Chapter 4

After Magnum had cleared the table, Juliet wandered into the office and grabbed her laptop before returning to the pool area, gently easing herself into a lounge chair under one of the umbrellas.

He watched with a close eye, observing her wince as she settled down, rearranging the pillows awkwardly several times before settling in. Looking at the clock, he realized she was overdue for a pain pill, and he was pretty sure she knew that also but gave her some space to make her own decision, making a couple calls all the while keeping one eye on her.

Nearly an hour passed before he walked out to the pool, standing beside her quietly.

“Yes, Thomas?” she asked while reading what looked like email. He could see her subtly trying to shift into a more comfortable position and he internally sighed.

“How are you feeling?”

Quickly she glanced up at him then returned to whatever she was reading.

“Fine, thank you.”

“No, you’re not.”

That earned him a sharp look and a terse, “Excuse me?”

Eyes narrowed he continued, “You’ve been shifting every 10 minutes since you sat down, half the time you wince, clearly in pain. And we both know you were supposed to take your pain meds over an hour ago.”

“Last I checked, you did not have MD after your name. And I don’t need a babysitter, I’m capable of taking care of myself.” The tone she used was especially biting but Magnum didn’t even flinch, he’d been on this side of Juliet Higgins more than once, it was never long lived and she was likely tired and in pain.

Carefully he lowered himself to the lounge chair, sitting by her knees and smiling gently at her, she continued to look at the laptop, ignoring him. “I am more than aware you are capable of taking care of yourself. That said, you were seriously injured in a car accident _two days ago_. There is no need to be a hero and sit here in pain, take the meds. _Let me help you_.”

Slowly she closed the laptop and gave him a long look.

“I’m sorry, that was…uncalled for. It’s just…” Her eyes found a spot over his shoulder to focus on. “I don’t like feeling helpless. Which is what I am right now.”

“Hey,” he said and took her right hand, tugging gently to get her focus back on him. “You are not helpless; you just need a hand right now.”

For a second her eyes dropped to their joined hands before meeting his again. “Thank you, Thomas, for everything you’ve done.”

Feeling bold, while still holding her hand, he slowly ran his thumb over her skin. “We’re…friends.” He stumbled slightly over the word, not convinced “friends” accurately conveyed what he felt for her, though he couldn’t quite pin down what his feelings were. More than friends, certainly. “That’s what friends do, right?”

To his great surprise she didn’t pull her hand away as the moment between them grew heavy with the unsaid.

“Yes, it is.” Once again she shifted, this time letting out a little groan of pain. “Could you-“

Before she could finish, he released her hand and pulled the bottle of pain meds from the pocket of his cargo pants, handing her one and the glass of water on the table on her opposite side, causing him to reach over her torso. “Sorry,” he muttered while pulling back.

“Thank you,” she said softly and rested her head back on the lounger after swallowing the pill, watching him.

“Anytime,” he replied and set the pill bottle next to the water. As he pulled back, a spot of blood on the bandage on her forehead caught his attention. Without thinking, he reached out, gently touching the gauze and frowning. “This needs to be changed.”

Her hand came up and replaced his fingers. “Oh…I’d forgotten. How-“

“I’ll grab the supplies, right back.”

It didn’t take long to retrieve the small supplies bag the hospital had sent her home with and return to the pool deck but in that time Juliet had closed her eyes and seemed to be sleeping. The last thing he wanted to do was disturb her, but the small spot of blood was now close to quarter size, it really needed to be changed.

Carefully he returned to sitting by her side but this time near her hip.

“Jules?” he asked and gently tapped her shoulder.

“Hmmm?” she mumbled while opening her eyes. “Sorry…didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

“It’s ok. Let’s get that changed and then you can nap all you like.”

She started to lift her head, but he indicated she could stay as she was, he was close enough.

Carefully he pulled the tape, taking the gauze with it slowly, trying to avoid pulling on the stitches, she remained still but with her eyes focused on him.

Shifting closer, Magnum peeled off the last bit of tape and gauze, balling it up and tossing it to the side. The cut did not look good, the edges of the skin were red and inflamed looking, and the amount of blood, while not alarming yet was certainly more than he expected.

“Magnum?” she asked and reached up, grasping his wrist. “What’s wrong?”

“The wound could be infected, hard to tell though because of the blood. Let’s wash it off, re-dress and look again in the morning. If it’s not better, you may need to make a trip back to the hospital.”

She didn’t look pleased.

Magnum took extra gauze, moistened it with some of the water from her glass and gently dabbed the stitches, clearing the blood away. She was trying not to flinch. So focused on the work of applying the cream and applying the fresh gauze, Magnum hadn’t realized how physically close they’d become. As his fingers pressed down the medical tape around the edges of the gauze, he moved back a bit, but allowed his hands to linger at her hairline, pushing her hair away from the sticky tape so it didn’t get caught.

Juliet was watching him carefully, blue eyes filled with something he couldn’t quite define. He wondered if she felt it too, this…urge to close the small gap between them. The air humming, thick with more than just the Hawaiian heat. For the briefest of second he gave into the urge and moved slightly closer to her.

_Stop!!_

Magnum froze at the thought screeching across his brain, this was so not the right moment. Literally the worst possible moment.

“Magnum,” Juliet said quietly, eyes still focused on him.

“Yeah?”

She didn’t seem to know what to say after that before finally settling on, “I think I’m going to take that nap now.”

“Of course,” he said and stood up, taking the small hospital bag with him. “Did you need help getting upstairs?”

Her piercing gaze shifted to the horizon. “No, I think I’ll do it right here. Something about the waves is very relaxing. And I think the meds are kicking in.”

“All right, call if you need me, ok?”

Nodding she closed her eyes and drifted off almost instantly.

Magnum looked at her another moment before going back in the house, dropping the bag on the counter before pressing his hands into the cool granite.

What the hell was the matter with him?

Juliet was in pain, tired and sore and he’d…what? Tried to make a pass at her? Kiss her?

Magnum wasn’t even sure what his intent was exactly.

“Nope, no,” he mumbled to himself while grabbing a beer. “You were taking advantage of her. Get it together, man.”

Then he recalled her expression, she hadn’t pulled away or made a face that told him to back off. If he was honest, there had been something building between them for a while, and maybe his feelings had been…amplified by the accident and attempt on her life but they’d certainly already been there.

Taking a deep drink of the beer, he looked out the open doors, she appeared to be sleeping.

Mumbling to himself he slipped off to the guest house to grab a few overnight items he needed to stay in the main house for a few days.

~~~~~~~~~

Despite the pill she’d taken, Higgins was not sleepy. Instead, her mind was whirring, playing the last few seconds before Magnum had stood and left over and over.

What had she been thinking?

She was thinking how nice it was to have someone care that much about her, look at her _like that _again. Especially someone she trusted implicitly, with her life and her feelings. Someone with whom she’d been dancing around…something for a while now.

Relationships after Richard were fraught with demons, it was easier to push people away then get attached and lose them. Higgins wasn’t sure she could handle that kind of loss again.

And yet, here she was…attached to Magnum. And the thought of losing him made her heart clench a little.

Ok, a lot.

What would she have done if he’d closed that gap between them? Had this been earlier in their relationship she certainly would have smacked him. Now? Not so much.

Higgins could only guess why he’d pulled back but suspected it was the timing. That or he realized his actions were only because of the adrenaline from the accident. Something told her it wasn’t that.

Analyzing Thomas Magnum and his actions was something her sober mind struggled with, much less one on prescription painkillers. So she allowed the soothing sounds of the ocean to pull her into a deep sleep.

When she woke it was dark except for the soft yellow glow of the outside lighting.

Blinking and looking around, she spotted Magnum sitting at the table, her laptop open in front of him.

“What are you doing?” she asked and yawned.

Without even looking at her he answered, “Research on the man who attacked you in the hospital. Ryan Green, its an alias if you hadn’t guessed by that completely unoriginal name. Totally useless.”

The laptop closed violently and she had to resist the urge to tell him to take it easy, he looked…frustrated. Angry even. Higgins knew Magnum had a dark, dangerous side, it reared its head only rarely but usually when his friends were threatened.

She sighed and shifted again, becoming very aware of the grime covering her body. Thinking back, she realized it had been nearly 2 days since her last shower – she refused to count the “bath” they’d attempted in the hospital. The urge to get it _off_ was almost overwhelming and the large soaking tub in her bathroom was practically calling her name.

Slowly she eased herself to the edge of the lounger, using the back to push herself to standing easily. She felt…better, shockingly so. The drug haze was gone but she wasn’t in too much pain either.

“I am going to take a bath,” she stated.

Magnum looked at her. “You ok?”

“Yes, thank you. I will manage.”

She could not manage. Not fully.

Getting the water going and dropping some lavender scented oil into the tub had been easily accomplished with her right hand. She’d even gotten the sling off.

What she had not considered was removing her shirt, which was proving more challenging than expected. Higgins knew the technique for getting a shirt off with a busted collar bone, she’d used it once before but that was without the added issues of fractured ribs. Every movement up sent pain shooting through her entire left side.

Eyes darting to the warm water, then back to the closed door she made a decision. This was going to be awkward, no way around it, especially given whatever had just almost happened between them earlier. But she wanted her bath, dammit.

“Magnum?” she called from the open balcony by her door. He was sitting in the living area, watching TV.

“Yeah?” he asked without looking up.

“I, uh…could use some help. Please.”

“Yeah of course.” He got up slowly and headed toward the stairs as she slipped back into the bathroom.

“Higgy?” he called out just as she was debating if this was a good idea.

“Bathroom.”

Tentatively Magnum appeared in the doorway, eyes darting around the room, taking it in.

“Nice,” he commented.

“I need…uh, help,” she said and glanced at him sheepishly. “With my, uh…shirt. I can’t get it off-“

“Ribs hurt?” he asked, finishing her thought.

“Yes, do you mind?”

For a long while he stared at her, something warring behind those dark eyes before nodding. “Of course not,” he wiggled his finger, indicating for her to turn around. She obliged.

His hands came to rest carefully on her left shoulder, gently guiding her arm from its position pressed against her torso to hang loosely down by her side and slightly behind her.

“Ready?” he asked.

“I trust you, Thomas.”

“Ok.” Then his hand snaked to her front, slipping under the hem of her shirt, he was obviously trying not to touch her but was mostly unsuccessful and every time skin met skin Higgins had to resist trembling a little. Carefully he brought the material up, angling toward her right arm, pulling so the material widened and Higgins was able to drag her arm through the arm hole.

Magnum circled to stand in front of her, guiding the material over her head, keeping his eyes firmly on what he was doing and not the expanse of skin he was exposing.

A good man, indeed.

At that point, the material easily slipped down her left arm. Now was the embarrassing part, she was wearing a bralette and there was no chance she was reaching back and unhooking it on her own.

Looking at him, Higgins was ready to tell him to forget it, she’d manage, but his eyes had caught the severe bruising that mottled the left side of her body. It was particularly bad over her ribs and collarbone where the fractures were.

Without even realizing it she suspected, his hand hovered over the skin.

“Jesus,” he whispered and settled his fingers over her collar bone. Higgins froze in place. “Sorry,” he mumbled and snatched his hand back, starting to move behind her, clearly shaken.

“Magnum…” she said softly and gripped his wrist with her good hand.

His eyes darted to the filled tub. “I shouldn’t have looked.”

Firmly, she said, “It’s ok, really. It’s rather hard to miss.”

“Let’s get you into that bath, smells good.”

Magnum circled to stand behind her again, fingers touching the skin on top of her shoulder. It was…electric and she wanted more. The thought startled her. What was it about this man?

He seemed to sense her thoughts because his fingertips trailed feather-light across her shoulder to the nape of her neck, it sent shivers down her spine. Pausing a moment, he seemed to be considering something – before his fingers slipped down her spine to the clasp of the bra.

Without thinking, Juliet wrapped her right arm around her chest to keep the material in place once he unhooked her.

Yet, for a long while he didn’t and she was acutely aware of his breath on her neck, warm and comforting and his fingers still in the middle of her back.

And then there was movement and the material parted and she sighed in relief. Until his hands made their way to her shoulders once more and slowly, torturously slowly, pushed the straps away, his hands following the lace down the tops of her arms.

Juliet shivered again.

Without removing his hand from her right arm (which still held the material firmly across her chest), Magnum stood in front of her. His eyes were impossibly dark, his breath shallow, just like hers. He seemed to be trying to reign himself in.

Never in her life had she been so frustrated with being injured.

“Need anymore help?” he asked and not so subtly glanced down at her shorts.

Maybe it was the drugs or her need to one up him, or the feelings he had brought to boil within in her, but Juliet snapped.

And she dropped her arm.

Allowing the lace bralette to flutter to the floor between them like a gauntlet thrown down to instigate a fight. But this was no fight. Or…maybe it was. They were certainly good a fighting.

Amazingly Magnum’s eyes remained firmly on hers, though she could tell by the way he swallowed the act had an effect.

“No,” she said sweetly. “I think I’m fine, thank you.”

It was his turn to look frustrated.

Turnabout was fair play, she thought and grinned. He took a step back and she could all but see him fighting the urge to look down – but he was too much of a gentleman to do it.

“Well,” his voice cracked on the word. “If you do, just call.”

As he spun and walked out of the room, Juliet restrained a laugh.

With relative ease, she pulled off the shorts and underwear and had one foot in the tub when suddenly…

The lights went out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I have to apologize yet AGAIN. I got the worst case of writers block and could not figure out how to bridge the time between Chapter 3 and Chapter 5 (which is mostly written in my head).   
And look, just in time for Magnum to come back!
> 
> You guys are all so lovely and I hope are still reading this. Thank you for the comments of encouragement I've received lately, it really did motivate me to work through the block.
> 
> I also made some edits to previous chapters, a reader pointed out my injury list did not stay consistent (thank you!)...whoops!! All fixed.


	5. Chapter 5

“HIGGINS!” Magnum’s cry was close, so he hadn’t gotten far.

Swiftly she pulled her foot from the tub as a Magnum shaped shadow appeared in the doorway. As an interior room, the bath was pitch black so her nakedness was of little concern, she knew his vision wasn’t any better than hers at the moment.

“You ok?” he asked into the dark.

“Yes, fine.” Then she realized something. “Wait…Why is the generator not running?”

“If I had to guess? They managed to cut that as well. I just tried to call out also, cells are blocked.”

Taking a deep breath, she pushed the pain aside and stepped back into her shorts, pulling them up and buttoning them essentially one handed. Forgoing the bralette, Higgins picked up her shirt with a short hiss and looked at Magnum - still standing frozen in the doorway.

“I need help, Magnum.”

“Right, of course.” He moved to her side, taking the shirt and between the two of them they pulled it back on, it hurt but she managed to not show it.

A crash from the first floor told them any time they might have had was gone.

“Gun,” Higgins said. “Top drawer of my night table.”

Moving quickly, he disappeared again, and she slowly followed.

Once she’d made it to the bedroom, Magnum was holding her 9mm, slamming the magazine back into the gun. Her backup was still hidden in the study and Robin had a gun safe, but it was in the basement, she wasn’t confident they could get there before being caught.

“Let’s go,” he whispered and quietly they made it to the doorway. Magnum looked down into the living area, all seemed quiet and he guided her down the hall, across the second floor, _past_ the stairway.

Higgins frowned. “Where are we…“ Then she realized and came to a dead stop in the hallway, hissing, “No.”

“Higgy, we do not have time for this.”

“I am not hiding away while you put yourself in danger. Absolutely not.”

“And what exactly are you going to do to help?” Frustration poured off him. “Fifteen minutes ago, you couldn’t get undressed.”

“Well, I can’t go and hide in Robin’s saferoom either, Thomas. These people are after me, not you!”

Magnum’s eyes scanned the area, anxious. “We don’t have time for this, Jules.” He sighed and gently cupped her face. “I know it goes against everything in you, I understand, believe me. But right now I need to know you are safe, I cant keep myself safe if I’m worried about you. Please, trust that I’ve got this.”

If the situation were reversed, she knew she would be telling him the same thing, so despite her gut screaming not to, Higgins nodded and started moving toward Robin’s bedroom. The small saferoom was hidden in the back of the large walk in closet, it had its own power source, and, with any luck, she’d be able to contact the police. The room had come with the house and while Juliet had known it was there, she just never really bothered to confirm everything worked properly. A massive oversight on her part.

As they entered the closet, another noise came from downstairs. Magnum hurried her along, pulling the back section of shelving open, revealing a metal door with keypad. He looked at her expectantly.

For a moment she debated not telling him. “Five four zero three eight.”

The keypad turned green and he pulled the door open, first confirming the lights and air circulation seemed to be functioning before ushering her in.

“Magnum…” she started again; she really, really did not want to lock herself away, at the same time acknowledging in her condition, she would be a hinderance.

He ignored her half-hearted plea. “Try and get a call out to HPD.”

“You could stay with me…”

Magnum gave her a small smile. “I would much prefer that, really.” The smile faded and something dangerous crossed his face. “But this ends _tonight_, these guys are not coming after you again…ever.”

Then he did something unexpected, leaning over and placing a kiss on her forehead. It went on longer than it should have and something in Juliet’s heart broke, he was prepared not to come back to her.

When he finally pulled away Juliet tried to say something, anything that would change his mind, but he said “call HPD” and disappeared, closing the door behind him before she could even get a thought out.

Looking around while holding tears back, Juliet found the sat phone. With any luck it would get through even while the mobiles did not. Turning on the power, she waited impatiently while it booted up and ran a software update.

“Come on,” she hissed at the phone.

After what had to be close to ten minutes, “ready” appeared on the screen.

Quickly she dialed 911, explained the situation and requested they contact Gordon Katsumoto. “Please hurry, my…partner is in the house also.”

“What’s your partners name and a brief description, so the responding officers know.”

“Thomas Magnum. Brown hair and eyes, dark complexion wearing a red Hawaiian shirt and khaki shorts. He’s also armed.”

“Officers have been dispatched and we are notifying the Detective as well.”

“Thank you.”

The dispatcher started to request she stay on the line, but Juliet hung up. Halfway through the call she realized she couldn’t do this; she could not stay locked away in this tiny safe room while Magnum tried to fight off men who had come here with the express purpose of killing her. They would have no compunction about killing him.

The thought of finding his body somewhere on the grounds made her physically ill. It reminded her too much of Richard, of how she’d been informed of his death by a call from her boss. How she’d had to identify the body, already cold on a morgue slab. Mourned him and their future, angry at the fact he’d died alone, murdered by a man they’d both called friend.

_Magnum’s body, blood pooled beneath it. Richard, cold in the morgue._

Nope, couldn’t do it. Magnum was right, it wasn’t in her nature to sit back and let someone die for her.

Determined, she unlocked the door and slowly pushed it open. There was a disconcerting silence in the house. Then a single gunshot.

Looking around for any kind of weapon, she picked up a heavy candlestick from next to the fireplace. It hurt her side just to lift but adrenaline was taking over and it wasn’t as bad as she would have expected.

Walking back out into the hall and over the open walkway between wings of the house, there was still an ominous silence. She feared she was already too late and her heart sunk.

Where was he?

Juliet started to move down the stairs, the living room was a mess: the couch was tipped backward, cushions strewn everywhere, coffee table shattered as if something large had been thrown into it (_please, not Magnum)_ but there was no blood.

Moving toward her office, she heard a noise in the kitchen and turned in time to see an unfamiliar man spot her.

With a feral grin he moved purposefully in her direction, picking up a walkie talkie from his belt and said, “Got her. First floor.”

There was silence from whoever he had been talking to and for a moment the man paused, frowning, before continuing on his path.

Juliet ran toward the office, she just needed to get to her second gun, hidden in a book. Just as she entered the room and turned toward the shelves a body slammed into her from behind, sending her sprawling to the floor next to the desk, her left side taking the brunt of the fall, the candlestick sailed across the tile to the other side of the room. She screamed in agony.

“You are a hard woman to kill,” the man hissed and approached her. Juliet swung out a leg, sending him crashing to the floor.

Panting, she responded, “Good.” And placed a hand on the closest chair to try and leverage herself up.

“Stupid bitch,” the man yelled and reached out, gripping her leg tightly and pulling her back down to the floor.

Pain was radiating through every part of her body, but giving up was not an option, giving up meant she was dead. She kicked out violently, smirking when her foot made contact with his face and felt something break – likely his nose. The attacker mumbled something she couldn’t hear but gathered was unpleasant.

Scrambling away, Juliet grabbed the leg of the wicker chair she had just been trying to use as leverage and flung it at her attacker, unfortunately her ribs vehemently protested the action and her aim was off and lacked any real punch, it was a glancing blow at best.

A large hand clamped down on her thigh, pinning her in place. Juliet struggled as best she could swinging her right fist up and catching his temple. He was unfazed while straddling her hips.

His eyes grazed over her. “Looks like you’ve got some injuries there.” One hand came down and slapped the left side of her face. The pain was unlike anything she had ever felt and yet, she restrained another cry of pain, Juliet would not give this man the satisfaction.

“Bugger off,” she hissed, and despite the agony radiating through her head, reached up and bit down on his forearm, hard enough to break the skin.

“Fuck!” he screamed and pulled back, hate in his eyes. He stood and sent a swift kick to her uninjured side. That almost did her in, the room started spinning, edges of her vision darkening but she shook it off and tried to focus on her attacker.

“I’m going to enjoy this,” the man said and pulled a gun from his waistband. “By the way…the viper sends his regards.”

_No…no. _The shock must have been clear on her face because the man laughed a little. “His reach is still long, even locked away, love.”

Then the gun was pointed at her and in that moment she knew it was over, she was so tired, in pain and simply unable to fight anymore. It was a harsh realization and her mind wandered to Magnum, the only hope she had was he would survive. Regret washed over her, she regretted being so standoff-ish with him, not being kinder even when she wanted to, and especially that they never explored what could have been (primarily due to her own fears of getting close to people).

A tear started to fall but she refused to give her attacker any pleasure from this, so she squeezed her eyes shut, letting out a deep (painful) breath before reopening them and staring at the man looming over her. If he were going to assassinate her, he would have to look into her eyes while he did it. And she got some satisfaction watching the blood drip from his nose and the bite mark.

A gun fired and Juliet instinctively closed her eyes, waiting for the flash of pain, but it never came. Instead there was a loud thud and a familiar voice called her name.

_No, it couldn’t be-_

“Thomas?” she said carefully and opened her eyes to find her assailant on the floor, dead from a shot to the head, Magnum rushing toward her from the doorway.

“Oh my god, Juliet...” he breathed, skidding to a stop next to her on his knees.

Juliet pushed herself to a sitting position, even as he protested her movement with several “no’s”, his hands hovering over her body, unsure what to do. All she knew was everything hurt, and she was pretty sure the cut on her forehead was bleeding again but sitting seemed to be better then lying on the hard tile.

Eventually his hands tentatively touched her face, cupping her jaw, thumbs stroking her cheeks. They were inches apart from each other. “Higgy.”

“I don’t…it hurts to breathe.” There was a touch of panic in her tone.

Distant sirens cut through the air and Magnum spoke quietly, with relief, “Police are here, which means ambulance.”

“Where…” she labored to speak. “The other men.”

“Taken care of,” he said and slipped one hand down to her right shoulder.

Actually, she was wrong. Sitting was starting to hurt far more than lying on the ground, but she was finding comfort in Magnum’s touch and couldn’t bring herself to pull away. So, she pitched herself forward, moving closer to him, lying her temple on his shoulder, face toward his neck. Her good arm found his chest, gripping onto his shirt.

Magnum responded by shifting so he was sitting fully on the floor, legs extended, one arm wrapped around her waist carefully, hand firmly on her back, providing some support for her battered ribs. His other hand wrapped around hers on his chest. He was warm and comforting.

“Ian,” she mumbled into the skin of his neck.

The hand that had been stroking her back slowly stopped. “What?”

“Ian…sent…them.”

“Son of a bitch, I’ll kill him myself,” Magnum hissed and cupped the back of her head, squeezing her hand a little tighter.

“I…” she started but couldn’t finish. It hurt too much, her body and soul were both in agony and, despite her normally stoic self, she let out a short sob. Then another. And another until she was crying on Magnum’s shoulder.

“It’s ok, I’ve got you,” he whispered, and Juliet felt a brief kiss dropped on her head. “It’ll _be_ ok.”

Silence fell as they remained wrapped around each other, Magnum stroking her back slowly, his cheek resting against her temple.

It was how Katsumoto and the EMTs found them.

And if the detective smiled a little as he approached, he would never admit it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my gosh, you guys! So many reviews for the last chapter, it was fantastic...THANK YOU. I usually dont have time to respond to reviews but I read each one (sometimes more than once...heh).
> 
> Please note the chapter count went up one. I intended this to be the last but were it ended was perfect for a chapter, but not necessarily a fic. So, one (short) epilogue coming up.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You all can thank Magnumfan75 for this bonus chapter. They asked for Magnum's POV of Chapter 5 and my brain was all "YES! LETS DO THAT!" So now a bonus chapter and next will be the epilogue.

Magnum slowly made his way down the first part of the stairs, gun up and ready, eyes scanning the area just in time to see three men splitting up, one heading toward the stairway. Only three men?

_Huge mistake._

The man coming up the stairs was blonde, tall and imposing looking. Magnum allowed himself to be spotted before retreating up the stairs, gun still at the ready. Predictably the man followed him, gun also raised in the PI’s direction.

As the blonde made the top landing, Magnum bolted toward Juliet’s room, a bullet whizzed by his right ear.

_Shit, that was close._

Barreling into the room he kept moving clear into the bathroom, slipping behind the opened door. Magnum put his gun back in his waistband and waited. The attacker had slowed but Magnum could hear his labored breathing as he approached the bath, cautiously crossing the threshold.

Once he was two steps in, Magnum slammed the door closed with all his might, the other man grunted and fell to the ground.

In an instant, Magnum was on him, punching his head viciously. The man caught one of his hands and twisted, pulling Magnum halfway off and allowing the blonde to buck up, throwing him to the floor. Magnum lashed out with his foot but the attacker stood and backed up a bit, his hand going to his nose which was bleeding profusely.

“Who sent you?” Magnum demanded.

The man grinned but remained silent and charged at the detective, which Magnum had counted on as he side-stepped, sending the larger man flying halfway into the still full bathtub.

Taking advantage, Magnum reached over and pushed the blonde’s head under water, holding even as the man thrashed violently (getting a few good shots in as he did) until he stilled.

Once satisfied the man was no longer a threat, Magnum let go and left the bathroom, raising his gun once more.

_One down, two to go._

Giving the hallway to Robin’s room a quick glance, Magnum hustled down the stairs, hoping neither of the other men had come up while he had been dispatching blondie. Entering the living room, he saw one of Robin’s prized African sculptures on the floor, shattered – that must have been the noise they’d heard while upstairs.

Standing in the living room, Magnum debated which way to go next, one man had wandered toward the east side of the house where the basement stairs were, the other toward the guest house. The house was enormous, the attacker who had gone east on the main floor could have either stayed on this floor or gone downstairs, easily five thousand square feet to search.

“Dammit,” he hissed and decided to take his chances with the man outside, the guest house was much smaller and would be easier to sweep. Unless he’d taken a detour and was now somewhere else on the grounds. He had to take the chance.

For the first time, Magnum cursed the absence of the Doberman’s, this week happened to be the one week a year they went to obedience training off site. 

Slipping through the darkness of the property, Magnum approached the guest house without any trouble. The door was open, he knew he’d closed and locked it earlier after getting his clothes and bringing them to the main house.

Gun up, he entered slowly, moving past the pool table, clearing the living and kitchen areas. As he turned toward the stairs to the bedroom, a dark figure stared coming down them. Quietly Magnum slipped into the kitchen, crouching behind the end of the peninsula, watching the man’s legs as he wandered to the door wall and looked out before pulling on the still locked handle.

When the man turned, he found Magnum standing there, his gun pointed right at his head.

“Looking for me?” Magnum asked.

“Not specifically, no,” he answered, and the thick Australian accent threw Magnum off for just a half second. “But you’ll do.”

In a blink the man pulled a gun from his waistband and fired off a shot, which, again, missed Magnum by a hair. Magnum returned fire, hitting the Australian in the shoulder, but it didn’t slow him down much. The man rushed him and Magnum darted out of the way, firing off a second round that missed.

Magnum bolted toward the front door, running through as another shot wedged itself in the wood as he passed.

Running toward the main house, Magnum slowed at the pool, looked behind him and noted the other man was looking the opposite direction, taking the opportunity to hide behind a small equipment shed. The other man ran right by him and Magnum called out as he stepped out from his hiding location, firing one shot that landed dead center mass when the man turned.

The Australian hit the grass with a soft “thud”.

A cry pierced the night air and Magnum swore before running toward the house, barreling into the living room. The sounds of a fight were coming from the study and he ran down the hall, stopping in the doorway just as a large man pointed a gun at a prostrate Juliet on the floor.

Without a second thought, Magnum raised his gun and pulled the trigger. The man hit the floor.

“Juliet!” he called and ran toward her.

“Thomas?” she sounded confused.

Why was she out? What was she thinking! He wanted to yell at her, curse her for not listening and staying secure in the safe room. But instead he slid on his knees next to her and breathed out, “Oh my god, Juliet…”

She was trying to sit up, Magnum tried to stop her with several “no’s” but, per usual, she ignored him. His hands came up, he wanted to hold her, to pull her close to him and feel her heart beating but she looked like hell. The cut at her forehead was bleeding profusely, and she was favoring her left side again, breathing erratic.

Finally deciding to take his chances, he framed her face with his hands, stroking her cheeks. Relief flooded him. They were alive. _She _was alive. “Higgy.”

“I don’t…it hurts to breathe.” For the first time possibly ever he heard the beginnings of panic in her voice. At the same time, the sound of sirens cut through the air.

“Police are here, which means ambulance.” He was trying to reassure her but honestly, she looked completely out of it, he kept trying to make eye contact but her focus kept moving between him, the man on the floor and the space behind him. Maybe she’d hit her head again. Or was in so much pain she couldn’t concentrate.

_Hurry up_, he mentally chastised the ambulance.

“Where…the other men.” It seemed a supreme effort for her to even speak.

“Taken care of.” He tried to get her to focus again by slipping a hand to her shoulder and squeezing gently but instead she seemed to sway a bit. The suggestion to lie down was on the tip of his tongue when she suddenly leaned towards him, resting her head on his shoulder, warm breath on his neck. Her right hand came up and fisted the material of his shirt tightly, like it was a lifeline. The position was not going to work so carefully he shifted so his legs were spready out in front of him, Juliet resting on his right side, one of his hands firmly on her back, the other he wrapped around her fist on his chest.

For a moment he felt relief, she was safe and warm in his arms.

And then she said the name “Ian” into his neck and Magnum saw red, anger flooded his veins along with the need for revenge, which he made perfectly clear with a threat to kill the other man. Viper had caused her so much hurt.

She mumbled something into his neck and Magnum felt her body hitch and she let out a short sob, and then another until she was fully crying into his shoulder.

His heart broke for her and the only thing he could think to do was hold her slightly closer and whisper, “It’s ok, I’ve got you”. He placed a kiss on her head. “It’ll be ok.”

Magnum continued to stroker her back slowly, eventually his cheek rested gently against her temple. There was little he could do for her in that moment except be a source of comfort. Which he would do without question. He cared for Juliet deeply, she was his friend and maybe, possibly something more.

It couldn’t have been too much longer before a hand landed on his shoulder, startling him, and a familiar voice said his name.

“Gordon,” he said and turned his head to the detective. For half a second he wondered how they looked to the detective, hanging onto each other for dear life, bloody, bruised and with a body nearby.

“You guys ok?” the detective asked.

Magnum looked at the top of Juliet’s head, she had not moved a muscle. “Yeah, I think we will be.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys are seriously fan-tastic. So many reviews, it's just...awesome and inspiring. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.


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